I refer to these often enough elsewhere that I figured it would
help to have explanations around. For extra usefulness, I've listed
every way I can find for player characters to cause and cancel all
of them, not counting Gau's Rage skills or Relm using Sketch or
Control, except in a few special cases (since it would take more
time and effort than I feel like spending to figure out all of them).

Stragus's Ripple will exchange 'darkness', 'zombie', 'poison',
'Sorcerous Armor', 'transparent', 'kappa', 'petrified', 'incapacitated', 'death sentence',
'near death', 'decoy', 'silence', 'berserk', 'confusion', 'slip', 'sleep', 'dance',
'regenerate', 'slow', 'haste', 'stop', 'shell', 'protect', 'reflect', 'rage', 'frozen', 'reraise',
'transformed', 'chanting', 'Interceptor guard', and 'levitate' status between the caster
and the target. It would interchange 'incapacitated' and 'hidden' as well, but it's
impossible to cast with affected by either of those statuses and also impossible to
cast on a target that has either of them. Ripple is not supposed
to affect 'Sorcerous Armor', 'petrified', 'incapacitated', 'near death', 'dance', 'rage',
'frozen', 'transform', 'chanting', 'hidden', or 'Interceptor guard', but does anyway
due to a bug.

Monsters look no different from usual
under most status effects. All symptoms that involve appearance
apply only to player characters unless otherwise noted.

Note that, with very few special exceptions,
a given status can neither be applied nor removed if the target
has it flagged as a locked status (typically called an immunity),
even if it would normally wear off on its own. For player characters,
this normally means a status effect granted by an accessory,
such as the Reflect Ring.

暗闇（くらやみ）

Darkness

Dark

Effects: Prevents Stragus from learning
Memorized Techniques, and that's it. The same problem that causes the evade
bug prevents 'darkness' from having its intended effect of halving the affected's
hit rate and giving attacks vs the affected a 25% bonus to hit.

Effects: Character is
uncontrollable, counts as dead for game over purposes, and
keeps attacking even if HP is 0. May attack either enemies or
allies, and has a 1/16 chance each of inflicting 'darkness' or
'poison' on hit. Attackers are supposed to have a 25% bonus
to hit rate against those affected, but the evade bug keeps this
from working. This status also prevents the user from activating
a secret deathblow skill. Finally, entering 'zombie' status
removes 'darkness', 'poison', 'near death', 'berserk',
'confusion', and 'sleep', even if the target is immune to any
of these (which normally makes then unremovable). Zombified
monsters die immediately.

Symptoms: Green skin, vacant stare, attacks
automatically, indiscriminately, and even with 0 HP. Might mumble,
"Braaaiinnnsss..." if the game had speech.

Effects: Periodically hits the
affected with Poison damage. The
amount inflicted starts out relatively low, but has a multiplier that
increments each time the damage occurs, up to a maximum of
8 times the base value. The amount has some random variation.
Higher stamina increases damage from poison, as
does a higher max HP, up to a point (damage before variation
and multiplier is capped at 255). Attackers are supposed to have
a 25% penalty to hit rate vs those affected, but the evade bug
keeps this from working. Remains out of combat, where poisoned
characters will lose 1/32 of their max HP with each step, but only
down to 1 HP.

Because damage from 'poison' has the
Poison trait, it is affected accordingly
by weakness, resistance, or absorption of the same. Immunity to the
Poison trait additionally confers immunity
to 'poison' status, rather than simply negating the damage, with two minor
caveats. First, equipping a status immunity item when out of combat
normally cures the affected status if afflicted with it, but equipping
something with Poison trait immunity
won't immediately cure 'poison' status. However, the status will be
removed upon entering combat. Second, equipping a Poison trait immunity item (the Hero's
Shield) during combat while afflicted with 'poison' status won't
remove the status, but will cause it to inflict zero damage.

魔導アーマー（まどうアーマー）

Sorcerous Armor

Magitek Armor

Not named in-game. This status is
set when the party is riding Imperial Sorcerous Armor.

Effects: The Battle command is
replaced with the Sorcery command. All other commands except Magic,
Chain Magic, and Item are disabled. Tina gets more Sorcery abilities
than the others. Umaro or characters under 'berserk' will randomly use
Fire Beam, Ice Beam, or Thunder Beam every round.

Symptoms: Riding a big mech around.
It's impossible to have only part of the party with this
status without cheating, but if it happens, everyone is shown on a mech, even
those who don't actually have the status. Those without it set retain their usual
commands.

Cause with: Storyline only

Remove with: Storyline only

Prevent with: N/A

透明（とうめい）

Transparent

Clear

Effects: Always dodge all
physical attacks (even unblockable ones), but never dodge magic.
Having 'transparent' status also prevents 'reflect' status from working.
This status prevents the user from activating a secret deathblow skill.
Due to a bug, this status also negates instant death protection,
leading to the infamous Vanish/Doom exploit.

Note that negating instant death protection
works for all spells that normally check it, not just those
that actually inflict death outright. This includes most petrifying
attacks, various percent-based attacks (like the Gravity spell),
and the oddball Eerie Soundwave. Since Vanish/Doom is an
obvious bug and cheap tactic, I'll be largely ignoring it.

Symptoms: Only the
character's outline is visible. Monsters with 'transparent' are
simply not displayed.

The kappa is a supernatural water
creature of Japanese folklore with a tendency to play tricks on
(or do nastier things to) humans.

Effects: All abilities except
Battle (or Jump), Magic (or Chain Magic), and Item are disabled,
and all spells except Kappa are also disabled. All weapons
except Sagojou's Spear provide only 1 attack power (including
unarmed, which normally gives 10), and all
armor except the Carapace Shield, Dish, and Armor Kappa
provide only 1 defense power. However, these four items give
their listed power instead of their usual 1. Most monsters use 1
as their attack power under 'kappa' status, but some instead
retain full attack power and always get critical hits.

Symptoms: Turned into a
funny-looking green creature with a blue shell and beak, and water
on the head. Monsters in 'kappa' status get a similar, but uglier,
sprite, with coloration based on the monster's palette.

Effects: The affected cannot act,
cannot dodge, and counts as dead for game over purposes, but is
immune to nearly every form of attack, for what it's worth. The Ultima
Weapon still deals 1 damage thanks to its unusual damage modifiers.
Petrified monsters die immediately.

Symptoms: Character turns gray and is
essentially invincible but can't act, time bar stops

Prevent all causes with: 'reraise'
status (fails on undead). This works against Joker Death, but Mash's
Spiral Soul and Stragos's Fusion kill the user regardless.

死の宣告（しのせんこく）

Death Sentence

Condemned

Effects: Inflicts 'incapacitated'
when the timer runs out, harmless until then. However, immunity to
instant death will prevent the deadly part from working, and the
undead will recover full health instead of dying. The countdown
length is influenced by the caster's level, with higher levels tending
to produce shorter countdowns.

Prevent with: N/A, but some causes
fail if the target has instant death protection, and anything that prevents
instant death makes it impotent anyway.

瀕死（ひんし）

Near Death

Near Fatal

Effects: Triggers some
equipment special effects and gives a small chance of using
a secret deathblow instead of attacking when using the Battle
command. Attackers are supposed to have a 25% penalty to
hit rate against those affected, but the evade bug keeps this
from working. Gau and Umaro have no Battle command, so
they have no secret deathblows.

This status is normally set and cleared
automatically depending on the character's HP, but certain
skills can temporarily bypass this (Ripple), and immunity to
'near death' (typically from a Rage) can prevent it from being
removed once set.

Symptoms: Character is crouched over,
but not from poison or other status effects.

Cause by: Lowering HP below 1/8 of maximum

Remove by: Raising HP above 1/8 of maximum

Prevent by: Keeping HP high enough

分身（ぶんしん）

Decoy

Image

'Decoy' is not truly an adequate translation
of 'bunshin', but it's close enough for our purposes.

Effects: Automatically dodge
physical attacks, but each such dodge has a 25% chance of
removing the status. However, you still can't dodge while also
under 'sleep', 'petrify', 'frozen', or 'stop' status, when attacked in
the back, or when the attack is unblockable, but hits taken in these
cases will never cancel the status either. This status also prevents
the user from activating a secret deathblow skill.

Effects: The affected attacks
enemies uncontrollably with a physical damage bonus of +50%.
Affected enemies will always use normal physical attacks. Affected
player characters may use Battle or any of the following commands
if available: Battle, Mug, Jump, Rage, or Sorcery (note that Battle
appears twice; the first always-available instance allows characters
without the command to use it, and increases the odds for everyone
else). Adding 'berserk' status to 'rage' status does not seem to
affect behavior (the character continues to use whatever abilities
the Rage makes available), but still provides the damage bonus.
Adding 'berserk' status to 'dance' status appears to have
no effect at all. Any commands entered but not executed before
the status occurs will continue normally, with the damage bonus
taking effect if applicable.

Effects: The affected acts at
random with inverted targeting (attacks allies and heals enemies).
Confused characters will never use Item, Revert, Throw, Control,
Slots, Leap, Defend, Summon, or Possess. Any commands entered
but not executed before the status occurs will continue normally,
but with reversed targeting. Confused monsters use the command
list that appears when Relm Controls them, which frequently includes
abilities not in their normal action script. Attackers are supposed to
have a 25% bonus to hit rate against those affected, but the evade
bug keeps this from working. This status also prevents the user
from activating a secret deathblow skill.

Symptoms: Wild spinning in
place and green crescent whirling above head. Monsters under
'confusion' have their sprites flipped.

Effects: Periodically damages
the affected. Inflicts damage more often than 'poison', but the
damage isn't elemental and doesn't increase over time. The
amount has some random variation. Higher stamina will
increase damage taken, as will higher max HP,
to a point (damage before variation is capped at 255). Attackers
are supposed to have a 25% penalty to hit rate against those
affected, but the evade bug keeps this from working.

Note that 'slip' and 'regenerate' are mutually
exclusive status effects. Anything that sets 'slip' automatically cancels
'regenerate' in the process, and vice versa.

Symptoms: Periodic small
damage without being attacked. No other visual indications.

Not named in-game except as a command.
This is the state entered by using the Dance command successfully.

Effects: Character automatically uses
a random ability from the current dance set every turn.

Symptoms: Uncontrollable dancing

Cause with: Dance command (affects user)

Remove with: End of combat, 'petrified' status,
'incapacitated' status. 'Kappa' status will replace the dances with normal attacks,
but won't remove the status. Randomly stumbling due to
mismatched terrain will also remove the status, but that's
only possible on the initial turn unless you have two
characters using different dances.

Prevent with: Avoid the Dance command

リジェネ

Regenerate

Regen

Effects: Periodic small HP recovery. The effect
is opposite that of the 'slip' status. The amount has some random variation. Higher
stamina will increase the amount healed, as will higher max HP, to a point (healing
before variation is capped at 255).

Note that 'regenerate' and 'slip' are mutually
exclusive status effects. Anything that sets 'regenerate' automatically cancels
'slip' in the process, and vice versa.

Effects: Time bar fills more slowly
(half normal speed), so turns come less often. Also slows time-linked
effects like 'poison' status and causes effects that wear off on their own
to do so more slowly. Attackers are supposed to have a 25% bonus to
hit rate against those affected, but the evade bug keeps this from working.

Note that 'slow' and 'haste' are mutually
exclusive status effects. Anything that sets 'slow' automatically cancels
'haste' in the process, and vice versa.

Effects: Time bar fills more quickly
(nearly 1/3 faster than usual), so turns come more often. Also speeds
time-linked effects like 'poison' status and causes effects that wear off
on their own to do so more quickly. Attackers are supposed to have a
25% penalty to hit rate against those affected, but the evade bug keeps
this from working.

Note that 'haste' and 'slow' are mutually
exclusive status effects. Anything that sets 'haste' automatically cancels
'slow' in the process, and vice versa.

Effects: Time bar halts. The affected
can't act or evade attacks. Probably pauses 'poison' and similar
time-based effects, but I haven't tested this. Pauses the timer on most
effects that wear off over time.

Effects: Reflects most, but not
all, magic at half strength, without discriminating between harmful
and helpful spells. Once reflected, a spell cannot be reflected again.
Spells will not be reflected if the target also has 'transparent' status.
Finally, only targets with 'reflect' status are affected by Stragus's
Reflect????.

Remove with: End of combat,
Dispel spell. This status also eventually wears off on its own.

Prevent with: N/A

あばれる

Rage

Rage

Not named in-game except as a
command. This is the state entered by using the Rage command.

Effects: Character automatically either
attacks or uses the ability associated with the current Rage.

Symptoms: Fuming, automatic actions

Cause with: Rage command (affects user)

Remove with: End of combat, 'petrified' status,
'incapacitated' status. 'Kappa' status will force normal attacks, but not remove the
status.

Prevent with: Avoid the Rage command

Frozen

Not named in-game, but it's pretty obvious
what's going on.

Effects: Time bar halts.
The affected can't act or evade attacks.

Symptoms: Character
turns blue and can't act, time bar stops

Cause with:
Nothern Cross from Gau's Dragonfiend Rage.

Remove with: End of combat, any
Flame attack (though this still causes
damage as usual), Mash's Spiral Soul, Mog's Raccoon (Water
Harmony). This status also eventually wears off on its own,
though it takes nearly twice as long as 'stop' or 'sleep'.

Prevent with: N/A

リレイズ

Reraise

Life 3

Effects: If the affected enters
'incapacitated' status, either through instant death or HP loss, this
automatically casts the Raise spell on the affected and cancels
'reraise' status. However, Mash's Spiral Soul and Stragos's Fusion
kill the user regardless. Attackers are supposed to have a 25%
bonus to hit rate vs those affected (safety breeding carelessness?),
but the evade bug keeps this from working.

Transformation additionally doubles
the effect of 'regenerate' and 'slip' status, and also seems
to affect 'poison' similarly.

Symptoms: The "supernatural
being" look is unmistakable.

Cause with: Tina's Transform command

Remove with: End of combat, duration expires,
Tina's Revert command

Prevent with: Avoid the Transform command

Chanting

Not named in the game. This is the
state Relm (or Gogo) enters when Controlling an enemy. If a character
enters this status by any other means (i.e., Ripple), the game is likely to freeze when it tries to show the command
menu for that character, so avoid that.

Effects: Use Controlled enemy's Control
command list

Symptoms: Continuous chanting

Cause with: Control command (sets on user
if successful)

Remove with: End of combat, kill
the Controlled monster, any successful physical attack to Controlled
monster, (interrupt the affected's actionability?)

Prevent with: Avoid Control command

Hidden

Not named in-game.

Effects: Not shown at all, can't be targeted
or hit.

Symptoms: Not displayed on screen

Cause with: Unsure, but probably nearly
anything that takes someone out of the action, such as the Jump command,
the Quetzal summon Sonic Dive, running away, Mash's Spiral Soul, Stragus's
Fusion, and the ejection skills used by certain monsters.

Remove with: End of combat, or if Jumping
caused it, wait for the jump to end

Prevent with: Avoid abilities that cause it,
otherwise N/A

Interceptor Guard

Not named in the game. This is an internal
flag normally found on Shadow (except on the Mystic Continent) and
only on Shadow.

Shadow starts with this status, and normally keeps
it for the entire game except the brief interruption noted above. However,
Ripple can swap it, even though it's not
supposed to, so Shadow can lose Interceptor's assistance permanently.
Keep Shadow away from enemies that use Ripple!

レビテト

Levitate

Float

Effects: Ground-based attacks miss
automatically, but vulnerability to Lock's Hawkeye and Sniper weapons
is increased (rarely an issue for player characters). Flying enemies
normally have this status permanently set.

Symptoms: Hovering a few feet off the ground

Cause with: Angel Wings (when worn), Levitate spell

Remove with: Sleeping Bag, Tent, Dispel spell

Prevent with: N/A

Charmed

Not named in-game.
This is a special status effect caused only by the Temptation
skill (refer to enemy skills).
It's also incredibly abusable.

Effects: This works like
the 'confusion' status effect, but is more complicated in how
it is applied, and more insidious in that it can't be cured or
(short of blocking the attack) prevented.

A single caster may have only one 'charmed' victim
at a time (the skill fails automatically if a currect victim exists).
A successful use of Temptation by a different caster on the same
target will leave the target 'charmed', but it now counts as the
second caster's victim, allowing the first caster to successfully
use Temptation on a different target (or the same one, which
again resets the victim link and frees the second caster to
use Temptation on something else).

The 'charmed' status can also exist alongside the
'confusion' status. In this case, actions are randomized as
usual, but targeting is inverted twice, so the
affected will attack enemies and heal allies. Sometimes
two wrongs do make a right, sort of.